People with disabilities have urged the government to make malaria education and prevention campaigns more inclusive, calling for improved access to health information and services to ensure they are not left behind in Tanzania's efforts to eliminate the disease.
The appeal was made on Wednesday during a stakeholder consultation in Morogoro, where representatives of disability groups met with officials from the Ministry of Health and development partners to provide recommendations on strengthening malaria communication strategies.
Participants said greater inclusion would not only improve public health outcomes but also enable people with disabilities to contribute more effectively to the country's development ambitions under the Tanzania Development Vision 2050.
Speaking on behalf of the Tanzania Association of the Deaf (CHAVITA) in Morogoro, Salum Ramadhani Ally called on the Ministry of Health to work closely with disability organisations to ensure malaria information reaches people with hearing impairments promptly.
"CHAVITA has an extensive communication network across the country. Working with us will help ensure that accurate malaria information reaches deaf people without delay," he said.
Another participant, Blesing Thobias Kadaya, said people with hearing impairments continue to face communication barriers when seeking treatment at health facilities due to the shortage of sign language interpreters.
He noted that the absence of interpreters often prevents healthcare workers from fully understanding patients' concerns, delaying treatment and affecting the quality of care.
"We urge the government to deploy sign language interpreters at health facilities to improve communication between patients with hearing impairments and healthcare providers," he said.
The Head of Information at the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), Ms Leah Ndekule, said the consultations are intended to identify gaps in existing malaria awareness campaigns and ensure future communication materials are accessible to all segments of society.
"We realised that some of our previous malaria education messages did not adequately reach people with disabilities. This consultation is aimed at ensuring future communication is inclusive and accessible to every Tanzanian," she said.
Ms Ndekule said a multi-sectoral task force comprising officials from the Ministry of Health, the President's Office–Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), the Prime Minister's Office (Policy, Parliament and Coordination), and development partners is conducting a five-day exercise in Morogoro to collect views from disability groups and other stakeholders.
The exercise will inform the development of accessible malaria communication materials, including educational videos, brochures and public awareness messages tailored to the needs of different groups.
The initiative reflects growing recognition that inclusive health communication is essential to improving disease prevention and ensuring equitable access to healthcare services for all Tanzanians.
